Get Defined Cheekbones in Four Easy Steps

Contouring doesn't have to be complicated.

Sure, they're largely hereditary, but defined cheekbones don't only come from genetics—fortunately for us. Makeup can play a huge role in how sculpted and slender your face looks, too, as we see time and time again with celebrities getting the professional cheekbone contouring treatment. (Hi, Kimmy K.) But while we're certainly impressed with these makeup artists' skills, when we're looking to define our own cheekbones, we want a method that's both a little more natural-looking and a lot less time-consuming than the A-lister treatment. With that in mind, we reached out to makeup artist Carolina Dali to show us how to get chiseled cheeks that still have a softness to them. Here, she lays it out in four easy steps.

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Katie Friedman

STEP ONE: BRONZER

Choose a cream bronzer that is significantly darker than your skin and has a warm tone, not a gray tone, to it. "I prefer to use cream over powder," says Dali. "You have a lot more control of where it goes and it tends to blend into the skin better, so it looks more natural."

To apply the bronzer, draw a thin line with your finger or a brush (the brush will give you a more precise application) below the brow bone, starting right off the ear and making the line thinner as you go down toward the inside of the face, stopping at the end of your cheekbone.

"Some people don't realize that when you contour, you need to wear blush also," says Dali. "Otherwise you might look like you have an illness, because your skin just looks yellow and orange."

Not sure where to start looking for the right shade of blush to balance out the bronzer? For those with fair skin, a soft pink with a peach undertone will warm up the face nicely. Those with olive-tone skin should opt for something brighter, with more of a blue undertone. Darker skin tones should go even brighter with corals or a hot pink (don't worry, it will look like a natural flush once applied to the skin).

To apply the blush—Dali recommends using a cream product again, as it's easier to blend and looks more natural—use your fingers (wash your hands first!), putting the blush above the bronzer, right on the cheekbone itself. Tap it gently, blending the blush into your skin until you don't see any defined marks or lines.

Next, you'll want to apply a little bit of foundation below the contour with a brush and blend it in to sculpt the cheekbone even more. "This will help the cheekbone have even better definition and make it look more prominent, so when you blend it, you'll be able to see it," says Dali.

Finally, you'll want to add highlighter above the blush, right on the bone itself, a little bit below where it meets your temples. To apply, blend it in with your fingers, not a brush, to make sure it looks natural. "If you want to draw a bit more light to the face, you can apply the highlighter on the inner corner of the eyes and little bit above the brow bone as well. That's also a really good trick."

Et voilà! An instantly more angular face with seriously but subtly defined cheekbones.

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